Gen Milley
© Win McNamee/Getty ImagesGeneral Mark Milley
Former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller ripped Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on Wednesday over a report that Milley told his Chinese counterpart that he would warn the Chinese military if the U.S. — and then-president Donald Trump — was about to launch a strike.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday, based on revelations in a forthcoming book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, that Milley was allegedly so worried that Trump would strike China that he called and told Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army that the U.S. would not launch a strike and, that if the U.S. did, it would not be a surprise. Milley reportedly said:
"General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay. We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you. General Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we're going to attack, I'm going to call you ahead of time. It's not going to be a surprise."

Miller told Fox News that he "did not and would not ever authorize" Milley to have "secret" calls with General Li, saying that the allegations against Milley were a "disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination," and calling on him to resign "immediately."
"The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer whose sole role is providing military-specific advice to the president, and by law is prohibited from exercising executive authority to command forces. The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense, not through the Chairman."